So you know that thing you learn to do after you crawl when you’re little? That’s right, walking. You mastered it when you were 2. As the catchy song in the Christmas cartoon puts it, “Just put one foot in front of the other.” You should try it sometime! Really, it’s not that difficult.
Living at Wolf Village this year on the edge of campus, it can be tempting to just ride the Wolfline. Budgeting an extra twenty minutes (one way) to walk to Talley just to pick up a coffee from Port City Java or a binder at the bookstore doesn’t seem all that practical. I pass the crowded bus stop every day and see clusters of students waiting to be picked up and driven to their desired location on NC State’s large campus. It’s not a bad idea. The bus rides are free, so why not? But depending on the Wolfline for all of your travels on campus forces you to miss out on all the great benefits of walking.
As an English and communication major, the bulk of my classes this semester are over in Tompkins. You know, that building over near the Memorial Bell Tower. The Bell Tower is one of the farthest campus landmarks from my apartment building in Wolf Village. I’ve had my fair share of long walks back and forth. On these long walks though, I can get some quality time to check out what’s been happening around campus. Passing through the brickyard allows me to see all the student tents set up, giving out free shirts or encouraging sign ups for State’s next big thing. Passing by Miller allows me to check out the recreational sports games going on outside, hearing the cheering and panting and sportsmanship radiating from the fields. Even passing by my old dorm allows me to realize all that has happened since last semester. It’s exciting to be immersed in the campus culture and following the bricks to your next destination, one step at a time. That’s not something you can do on the bus.
The longer walks have also become a convenient time for me to call my parents and give them the 4-1-1 on what I’ve been up to. Your parents want to hear from you, Wolfpack. Whether you leave what you did last night out of the conversation is up to you, but it wouldn’t hurt to just check in and say hi even if you don’t miss them. Trust me, they miss you – and come on, you know you miss them too.
Not forgetting the most beneficial aspect of walking: it’s great exercise. Maybe you didn’t gain the freshman-fifteen, but we collegians don’t always eat the most nutritious meals or make time for the gym. You have to go to class anyway, and here’s a perfect opportunity to tack on some miles of exercise to your week. Getting even just a little physical fitness into your day will make you feel more accomplished and will even help you focus. Get your feet moving and your brain will get moving too. By the time you wait for bus to come and make all of its stops along the way, you can probably get there in just a little extra time anyway.
I’m not saying you have to walk everywhere you go on campus, but some students never walk. If it’s raining, take the bus. The bricks are slippery enough to make you trip on sunny days, not to mention when there are puddles covering them. You will surely hydroplane and your public wipeout will probably make YikYak within the next few seconds. If it’s 112 degrees—like it sometimes feels here in Raleigh—take the bus. Your roommate will thank you for it when you don’t come back in a sweat-soaked t-shirt that crawls itself to your laundry basket. If it’s super windy or freezing or you just pulled an all-nighter or you overslept through your alarm, take the bus. It’s never a bad thing to enjoy a little cruise around State on the Wolfline. Just don’t take it every time. You’ll be glad you didn’t.
